Amber Rose at the People Magazine Awards. Amber Rose's political U-turn

Nyair Washington

The ‘Video Vixen’ and the ‘Rapper’s Baby Mama’ are archetypes which often suffer discrimination at the intersection of sex negativity and slut shaming.

Such women in the spotlight often seek to legitimise this identity, using it to shed light on questions of social justice. Or, in the case of Amber Rose, by pandering to the agenda of Donald Trump’s Republicans.

From Video Vixen To Feminist Activist

Rose once used her Video Vixen status to champion sex positivity movements.  In 2014, she became involved with SlutWalk, a transnational feminist movement founded in Toronto, Canada in 2011 marching against slut-shaming and the policing of women’s bodies.

Rose started her sub-sect of the SlutWalk in Los Angeles in 2014. Through mobilising her social media following, as well as building partnerships with institutions such as the University of Southern California, the LA edition grew in popularity and influence.

Often, women in positions such as Rose’s – who reach industry success in more sex-positive ways – evolve into new versions of themselves with age. Some, such as Elizabeth Ovenson – formerly known as Karrine Steffans – pivot and affirm their stories through continued sexual positivity. A former Video Vixen, often referred to by her nickname ‘Superhead’, Ovenson used her experience to author a tell-all series about her industry experiences and now offers coaching and acts as a keynote speaker. 

For other women, their past is marked with shame, and they wish to re-invent themselves by any means. What’s interesting about Rose? She seems to exist in a space between the two.

A Political U-Turn

Reports about Rose’s support of Donald Trump reached the media in May 2024 following her Instagram endorsement. Despite this knowledge, many were shocked by her speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on 15 July given her previous public stance against the politician.

Indeed, following her endorsement, Complex exposed multiple tweets that Rose had written about the former President, including one that stated, “Mannn f*** the fact that he’s old and f*** the fact that he was on TV. He is a sexual predator just like Trump and Harvey [Weistein]! (I hope they get their day as well)”.

A woman who once vehemently denounced slut shaming and sexual violence, who identified Trump as a sexual predator on a public forum, told the RNC  “The best chance we have to give our babies a better life is to elect Donald Trump as president of the United States.”

A Counterintuitive Endorsement

In reality, Trump is the antithesis of her supposed feminist politics. He was found liable for sexual assault in 2023 and is infamously known for saying, “Grab them by the p***y. You can do anything”. 

Are these reflective of behaviors that give children a better life? Does this sound like a candidate that respects women and minorities? Surely, the man who proudly took credit for overturning Roe v. Wade isn’t a safe candidate for the LA SlutWalk founder.

Through her endorsement, Rose has gone against everything she claimed to stand for. It raises concerns that her original sex positivity was self-serving and just a stepping stone in her alt-right pivot.

“If nothing else, Rose reminds us to be mindful of the people who use culture and activism as their next attention grab”

Not only is Rose’s political u-turn an endorsement to the detriment of her interests, it also directly harms those of her biracial children.

Speaking to the RNC, Rose  stated, “I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you’re Black, white, gay or straight. It’s all love”. In reality, Trump has a long history of racism, and his policies and appointments expose homophobic leanings. These are deeply damaging and violent ideologies that have become sources of inspiration for his supporters.  

Rose’s support for the Republican candidate elucidates her history of occupying Black spaces while clarifying that she’s not like us.

Racial Ambiguity

For years, Rose has used her racial ambiguity and proximity to Blackness and hip-hop greats to occupy Black spaces and profit from Black dollars. Her African-American peers influenced her brief, modest rap career stylistically and otherwise. Much of her popularity comes from her relationships with Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa. Subsequently, she received consistent media attention from Black entertainment entities such as Black Entertainment Television (BET.)

Yet, unlike her assertion of “these are my people. This is where I belong,” at the RNC, she has made a point to distance herself from Blackness while becoming a millionaire off the backs of Black people and culture.

Ironically, Rose thinks she is above the conservative nature of Republicans. A biracial single mother and ex-sex-working feminist is not reflective of conservative politics and has thus garnered controversy. Even “Trump Trump Baby” can’t save her. She is not fighting for politics in her best interest but has taken the route of many before her. Pivoting to conservative talking points when her lack of care for minorities garners backlash and, likely, loss of funds.

If nothing else, Rose’s political u-turn reminds us to be mindful of the people who use culture and activism as their next attention grab.

Why the Shift?

While once openly embracing her Black identity and audience by appearing on BET reality television show College Hill: Celebrity Edition, as well as regular appearances at Club nights at venues central to Black and Queer communities, Rose has now pivoted her efforts into aligning with the alt-right. Despite discussing her discomfort with existing in both Black and White spaces, this critique does not justify such an extreme ideological pivot in the opposite direction.

Indeed, the communities that Rose once identified with no longer serve her next mission. She wishes to be among the faces of cryptocurrency giants.

Rose would not be the first celebrity to align with Republican ideology to further her wealth, and Black, liberal and gay communities are not the faces of her next venture. A quick search of Rose’s Twitter shows a link to her cryptocurrency, “$muva,” and multiple tweets alluding to it. Interestingly, Trump recently invited cryptocurrency members to a fundraiser for which he intends to charge $844,600 – the maximum donation allowed – to fund his campaign. Some crypto-giants have made it clear that they support him, and per Time, many believe Trump will increase their crypto-related revenue.

So why wouldn’t a new crypto-coin owner want to align with Trump? It seems that accepting a man found liable for sexual assault is a small price to pay for Rose to have a potential seat at the table. Even if this goes against everything she has previously claimed to stand for.

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Featured image courtesy of Mingle Media TV via Wikimedia Commons. No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here. 

My name is Nyair/Riayn. I am a multifaceted, intersectional feminist with varying interests and specialties. I have an extensive background in education and mental health and favor pieces focused on youth, rape culture, feminism, gay rights, and minorities.

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